This invention relates to a lubricating system for outboard motors and more particularly to an improved lubricating system for two-cycle engines.
Two-cycle internal combustion engines have been conventionally lubricated by mixing lubricant with the fuel that is inducted to the engine. Although such arrangements obvious afford simplicity, they do not necessarily insure adequate lubrication of all highly stressed components of the engine under all conditions. Therefore, it has been proposed to provide a separate lubricating system wherein pressurized lubricant is delivered to certain highly stressed components of the engine, such as the bearings of the crankshaft. When the engine is used in conjunction with an outboard motor, the crankshaft is vertically disposed and it has been proposed to deliver pressurized oil to the main bearings of the crankshaft. This oil then flows by gravity down the crankshaft to lubricate the connecting rod big end journals. However, such an arrangement does not always insure that the connecting rod journals, which are one of the more highly loaded components of the engine, receive adequate lubrication under all running conditions. Frequently, when multiple cylinder engines are employed, a given crankshaft journal journals more than one connecting rod big end. Under these circumstances, it is particularly difficult to insure adequate lubrication of all of the connecting rod big end journals with the previously proposed lubricating systems.
It is, therefore, a principal object of this invention to provide an improved lubricating system for two-cycle engines.
It is another object of this invention to provide a separate lubricating system for two-cycle engines that insures adequate lubrication of the connecting rod big end journals.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a lubricating system for the connecting rod big end journals of a two-cycle, multiple cylinder engine.